The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-11-23
maxgLrNo. ". VA, NovEMnEE 10, 1887,
Electrical Railroads.

TEEELIEG, v. VA, NOVEMBER ~, 1887.
Electrical Railroads.
Tho future Of electrical transportation
10 tho subject Of an interesting article in a
recent iaauN Of tho Electrical Engineer.
Not only Ii this motive power rapidly and
successfully su~pplantlng holnnu on street
railways In citizen aud townr, bu. It 10 also
llkoiy to lak9 tho plscs OF ssosu1, according
10 the Engineer, on the elevated railways
oithe great Giles, end for that matter,
finally, on tho railways Of the land be.
tween tho chief cou!rep.
The next field 10 be occupied 10 that OF
tho elevated and other city and suburban
rspid transit passenger lines. The under.
taking 10 q far mora dilicul! one, but Ito
accomplishment may, in our opinion, be
looked for a5 no distant day. Tho con.
di!ioaBnt tho problem have been thorough.
ly mastered, tho obstacles to be met with
arc sufficiently we'll appreciated and un.
de,a!ood, and meanwhile several OF the
Eblest practical electricians Of tho day are
devoting their best energies 10 the subject.
No Ices than four electric locomotives
designed for this class Of service arc under
construction by different psrtiey ct the
present time, and We shall be much dis.
appointed II ono or more Of them does not,
upon trial, give sufficiently favorable re.
BULLS to render tho future tuccess oil
electric traction on railways OF this class
an asaurcd auccesa. Tho relief to tho pub.
lie in being freed from the annoyance oil
1.eam, amoko and cinderp, and Il great
measure Of noiae ca well, will BIO incslcula.
BILE, whilo the probable resulting economy
Ia operating expensea, although in our
opinion considerably overestimated by
Rsnguino %invsntors, will, nevertheless, be
sufficient to render the change q profitable
4 to the owners OF the roads.
Another field, and one in which the cleo.
tro.locomotiye Of the future msy be ex.
pected to achieve its greatest triumphs, is
that OF rapid passenger traffic between our
chief commercial Centers. Steam locomo-
ton, 90 iar as speed is concerned, has
practically reached Its limit. The un.
aVoidable restrictions Of bulk and weight
forbid any material increase in the power
OF tho express locomotive Ct to-day. No
ouch restriclions apply to the electric en-.
CINE. Tho amount Of power which BY
this means it is possible to apply to the
axles of m ordinary train without materi.
ally increasing Its weight, may, without
exaggeration, DO said 10 be almost limit.
lee,. We believe that the rapid transit
railroad OF the fu.urs will have Its trains
propelled by electricity it will be straight,
as the crow flies; it will follow the topo-
graphical undulatiors Of the country
almos. regardless to grades, and Ito trains
Will attain ! speed OF more than 100 miles
per hour with eafo.y. Without doubt,
thiG may be looked forward to as the next
great step in the pfogyeeaiys improvement
Of tho art OF transportation.
Inasnuch as no ahall coon have two
electrical roaeo running in Wheeling, and
inEamuch as our people are evon now be.
ginning to hear rsve.el electrical tsrmp
made use oil, it may BIS Of interest to them
to read and have at ccmmard, the follow
Ing definitions, which We find in a late
number Of the Richmond, Va, Dispatch:
An "accumulatot" Ia another term flor
secondary baste1ier, which arc charged BY
the current generated by $ dynamo.elec-
tr!Gal machine or @ battery Of chemicals.
The "volt" 10 the unit OF electro.motiye
force and potential.
The "enrero" is tho unit Of current,
Tho ."src' 10 tho space between two car.
BON points IN which the electric light is
formed. 1t contsins carbon vapor and
gives of the violent rsyn which produce
the steely appearance OF the arc light.
Tho "%arnasure" ia tho keeper oil the
magnet. In dynamo machines it is the
part snbjocted to rapid revelations, and
cloaes tho magnetic lines Of the field mag.
net.
Tho magnetic field" 10 tho space be-
tween the poles oil a magnet, in which tho
armatute rGvolves.
Tho Circuit is the path Of tho electric
current.
The "ohm"i is tho unit Of resistance,
The "rheostat" Ia a reolatanca inotru.
ment and is ordinarily called q "resistsnce-
box"
A "shunt" Is q branch wiro 10 carry off
q definite proportion Of the current. The
Tampa in cur electric cars are TO DO oper.
ated by 3 shunt.
The "we!t" is the unit Of power in q cur.
rent, 746 watts being equivalent to one-
horae power.
The celebrated electrician Ohm has fur
nished formula to calculate from certain
data all the information required of the
effects Of electrical currents by the use OF
symbols to exprcss fixed units. These
every practical electrician IL required to
understand, 90 employment in any de-
partment Of electricity renders a knowl-
ledge Of them necessary to successfully
and intelliGently discharge the duties Of